Honey Bee Line from SCENTSational Soaps

Being blessed with pimples and acne since high school meant that I had to constantly search for products that could solve my skin woes. I spent alot of money on products that didn't work, and soon after started seeing dermatologists in hopes of curing my acne problem that was clearly making my life miserable. It was only when I was much older than did my skin starting clearing up, but the continued use of bath products that were purchased at drugstores or inappropriate products resulted in having breakouts on my chest and back areas.

Last December I came across several videos on YouTube that featured a soap company called SCENTsational Soaps. Right from the start Sarah's (owner & soapmaker) Propolis & Honey soaps from her Honey Bee Line caught my attention. There are not many handmade soaps out there that contain Propolis or having Honey as the predominant if not main ingredient. The benefits of Propolis and Honey are often advertised in many beauty products but I have not come across one that seemed to be truly natural and organic.

Propolis Soap 

Honey Soap

Both soaps are deemed ideal for skin conditions such as eczema, acne, wounds, itch and many more skin conditions. I decided to take the plunge and try out both soaps hoping that it would at least help to control my breakouts on my chest and back areas. 

It cleared my skin within 1 week. 

In all fairness, I will not deny that both soaps are very strongly scented and it smells more of a herbal soap than the usual fragrance oil soaps that I've been used to. At the beginning I was not thrilled at all with the medicinal scent because I lean towards fragrances instead. In time, I grew to love the scent as it transformed into a scent that was soothing and represented goodness for my skin. Regardless, there are some BIG points about these soaps that soon made me feel that they ought to be a household staple. 

Quality: Smooth to the touch and pumped full of essential oils and real Honey and Propolis.

Lather: Rich foam that is similar to whipped cream on top of a Frappaccino. 

Moisturizing: Great balance. It is suitable for BOTH dry & oily skin.

Design: Neat edges and with a realistic Honeycomb effect embedded on top.

Feel on skin: Had a cooling effect on the skin after shower. Perfect for summers. 

Benefits: Cleared my chest and back acne. Skin felt smooth, balanced and clean. 

The Honey soap had tiny seeds within that provided a gentle exfoliating effect. I'm not entirely fond of the seeds because it felt scratchy as the soap bar wore down from use. However, the soap itself is fantastic. Definitely worth purchasing!

After my success with both soaps, I decided to purchase more Propolis soap for my cousin who suffers from eczema. She loves the soap. To date, it is the ONLY soap that does not bite her wounds when she showers. That's saying alot considering that she has tried so many soaps / cream baths recommended by skin specialists to no avail. Within 2 weeks the open wounds had healed with a whitish-looking scab covering it. And 3 weeks later, the wound was completely healed. Feedback received was that Propolis soap minimized her scratching tendencies at night. 

I'm not saying that Propolis soap is a definite cure for eczema. That would be unrealistic and inaccurate. What I'm saying is that it is an excellent soap that does not irritate the skin and people with eczema like my cousin are able to use it. What I'm also saying is that this soap is great for itch reduction, which means that the skin has a higher chance of healing since the wounds are not constantly reopened from scratching. 

To date it has been 6 months since I've started using Propolis soap and so far, my skin is loving it. Breakouts are almost non-existent or controlled. It feels good!

So take a chance, buy some Propolis soap or any of Sarah's Honey Bee Line soaps. Your skin will thank you for it :D

Website: http://scentsationalsoapsskincare.com/

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/SCENTSationalSoaps1

Problems with replying to comments on blog

I've received some comments from the lovely folks who are reading my blog but for some reason I was unable to reply any of your comments :( So I googled for help and found a way. The problem is that it wiped out all my existing comments previously made by my followers. Argh!

Apologies if your comments are removed. Please just comment when you can and hopefully I will be able to reply you from now on.

For those who are experiencing similar problems, here is a thread to help you out -

http://tvtechgirl.blogspot.com/2010/01/supercharge-your-blog-comments-with.html

Thank you for posting your lovely comments here, keep them coming! I love to chat :D

Future Primitive Bath & Body Dispensary

There are soaps, and then there are Future Primitive Soaps made by Tiggy.

These are some of the most original and creative cold processed soaps I've ever had the pleasure of using really. Rich creamy and thick white foam greets me in either hot or cold water without fail. Tiggy's soaps are truly a necessity for every household.

Located in the UK, Tiggy draws inspiration from the natural surroundings to make the wonderful soaps that clearly contain a bit of nature in every piece. Most of them contain essential oils instead of fragrance oils, while every single one is vegan and handmade with plenty of passion and painstaking effort.

Because most of the soaps are made with essential oils, they are not going to be your typical fragrances that can be found in the majority of the handmade soaps out there. It isn't something that you can categorize simply as floral, fruity or bakery but instead, each piece is so differently unique that it seems rather unfair to merely slot them into these categories when they are clearly much, much more than that.

Take for instance the infamous Herbaceous soap. This is such an unbelievably magnificent soap that is clearly inspired by nature. This soap showcases Spring in Action - with the soil, pebbles, sunlight, green shoots and petals all encased in a soap! It is breathtaking really. Scent notes include thyme, rosemary, lavender & marjoram with a splash of lemon. Incidentally, this is one of the soaps that I feel is essential for every household because it is so soothing for one's senses especially when feeling unwell. This is also the soap that I literally run for whenever I am down with flu or fever.

Herbaceous Soap

Another highly recommended soap is The White Witch. This is the very first soap that Tiggy made and till this day it remains her best seller. Scent description reads black Indonesian Patchouli, balanced with the prettiest floral Bourbon Geranium. This is a non-intrusive scent that is sure to go well with most people and I cannot imagine anybody not liking this because it's just one of those types that you can use any day at any time. A off-white coloured soap with a black stripe running through the top just gives the impression of simple white elegance. Sometimes less is really more.

White Witch Soap

And then there is the body whip. This is a body butter that glides on like frosting but sinks in almost instantly into your skin without leaving it greasy. It is excellent for dry skin but even for oily skin it is beautiful to use. My skin felt smooth, soft and had almost a powdery feel to it so it is suitable for humid and hot climates too. Rarely have I used a body butter that does not leave that greasy feel that can be quite unpleasant in tropical climates.

Body Whip

Body Whip

 So there you have it, my impression and an unbiased review of Future Primitive soaps. So if you are looking for a soap that's highly original in design, nature inspired, vegan and pumped full of essential oil goodness, look no further. Did I mention customer service is outstanding too?? ;)

Online Store: www.futureprimitivesoap.com
YouTube Channel: http://youtube.com/thefutureprim

 

 

Ariel's Secret Garden

For those of you who are in love with soaps that contain goat's milk, you will LOVE Ariel's Secret Garden.

I found Sherri (Soapmaker) on YouTube because she was posting tons of soaping videos showing how she cuts them, the designs and the new soaps that will be listed in her shop. After watching enough videos, I contacted Sherri and asked if she would ship internationally but to my disappointment, she refused. Bummer.

2 months later, I tried again. And still no success. Bummer bummer LOL.

3 months later, I tried for the final time. And I told myself that this would be the absolute final time that I would ask Sherri because there's only so many times a customer can get rejected right? ;) And then the unbelievable happened - SUCCESS. Whoo hoo!!

I still recall my first purchase - Sweet Talker, Lemon Biscotti Pie and Celtic Whispers soap bars. Because I was a youtube subscriber of her channel, she added in some freebies for me. Till this day I remember my first impression when I picked up the soaps. It was so creamy and rich to the touch, that I was thinking 'this ought to be good for my skin'... And then, the scents hit my nose, and I was totally blown away by it!!

Lemon Biscotti Pie smells of a cookie/pie infused with notes of marshmallow and a splash of lemon. I can almost see Sherri 'baking' this soap in her kitchen, and ever since whenever I smell this scent, my mouth starts to water. It is THAT realistic. No other shower gels / commercial soaps have EVER had such a realistic effect to it. Only FOOD does.

Sweet Talker was a scent that took me a while to love. It smelled somewhat masculine upon first inspection, and kinda heavy. But the scent blooms so beautifully in the shower, and the longer you keep this soap, the BETTER it smells.

Celtic Whispers was right up my alley. Green & fresh with a slight musk and an ozone note infused into it. I loved it at first whiff :)

In the shower, Ariel's Secret Garden soaps exceeded my expectations. I had tried out many different soaps from different sellers and so my expectations were along those lines. However, Sherri's soaps soon broke all the other standards set by my previous purchases and would emerge as the new standard which I would be setting all my future expectations against. The richness of a goat's milk soap is unrivaled by any other. It was so creamy to my skin and the scent staying power was incredible (Sherri's soaps are scented strongly), but yet it was so gentle for my skin that it was IMPOSSIBLE not to love her soaps!!

Immediately I knew that I had found my new love and I went back to purchase more from Sherri. This was in August 2010. Since then, I am still buying from Sherri and I still enjoy her soaps tremendously. The designs are very creative and pretty, the choice of colours ALWAYS vibrant and eye catching, but most importantly, the customer service received from Sherri was always TOP NOTCH. Fast response to queries, extra goodies and utterly courteous. The turnaround time is slightly longer than others, but that's because her business has grown enormously and she now has to fulfill alot of orders every single day.

Despite this, it is well worth the wait. Because each time you open her box, it will be Christmas all over again, and you'd know that you've been a good kid, because all the goodies before your eyes are just breathtaking.

Lavender Citrus Medley Soap

Lemon Biscotti Pie Soap

Sherri's online store

Sherri's YouTube Channel